Chapter 121: The World We Long For
December 15th, Sunday, 8 PM.
Border Line, City B, Province Y.
Several large military helicopters, glimmering with lights, skimmed between the ridges of towering mountains. Guided by radio signals and satellite navigation, they slowly descended and hovered on one side of the valley.
The rear cabin door gradually opened, and a cool, moist breeze rushed eagerly into the cabin. After glancing at the silent comrades from the Dark Arrow unit beside him, Meng Huai was the first to stand up.
“Tao Qiao’er, once we land, immediately assist the intelligence team in establishing communication nodes and contact the other squads.”
Meng Huai didn’t look back, merely muttered loudly before being the first to grab the winch cable and jump out of the cabin. Tao Qiao’er stood at the other side of the door, continuously sending the queued team members off the helicopter.
They were only a few kilometers from the border, with the famous Wildman Mountain Range in northern Myanmar just to the west. More than seventy years ago, it had been one of the hells where the Huaguo Expeditionary Army and the Japanese invaders fought bloodily.
On the map issued to the Dark Arrow unit, the border line wasn’t the main information; rather, it indicated another kind of territorial division. The Wildman Mountain Range was a large area marked in red as a high-risk zone and also belonged to the nominal sphere of influence of the Huaguo Bloodline family, the Luo family.
Beasts, poisonous snakes, and diseases are the eternal ghosts that linger here. This place is not only known as a residence for devils but also boasts a world-famous jade production area and is one of the main passageways for the flow of wealth in the bloodline world.
Similar nighttime airdrop deployments were simultaneously taking place at various points along the border. Over a thousand personnel from more than eight mixed battalions from different monitoring zones would be deployed in these humid and hot wild forests, engaging in a covert war of cat and mouse against bloodline smuggling groups from different regions.
Now was the dry season, and it was the time of year when various underground activities along the southwestern border were most frequent, making it the best window period for combating the bloodline criminals.
Another helicopter finished its drop, and Han Jie Li, along with a few members of the intelligence department, fully armed, landed on the ground.
“Could you help me find a few sturdy trees so I can set up the communication relay?”
As a member of the intelligence department selected for the southwest rotation, it was Han Jie Li’s first time participating in actual combat. He was fully aware of his rookie nature, ensuring that every task was clearly communicated to the operational department to avoid information discrepancies.
The main body of the communication relay station was wrapped in waterproof material and buried underground. Its internal battery was sufficient to ensure operation for over two weeks. The camouflage style of the communication antenna, resembling vines, wrapped around the tree trunk and reached the canopy, making it virtually impossible for non-professionals to discern its authenticity.
After briefly testing the signal, Han Jie Li nodded in satisfaction while secretly glancing at Meng Huai, who was checking the map with Tao Qiao’er in the distance.
“Meng team, confidential communication from the command center.”
Checking the luminous dial of his tactical watch, Han Jie Li felt it was about time and quickly crouched and ran to Meng Huai’s side.
“…Meng team, I’ll remember this, and I’ll go ahead and arrange the reconnaissance team’s tasks.”
Upon hearing the confidential communication from Meng Huai, Tao Qiao’er wisely folded the map and walked away.
With Han Jie Li in front and Meng Huai behind, the two made their way to a dark corner of the forest, crouching behind a robust tropical old tree.
One by one, tightly packed supplies were passed from Han Jie Li’s hands to Meng Huai, who silently received them and replaced some items at his waist.
Finally, “Meng Ge, happy birthday!”
The last item was a piece of chocolate. In the moonless night, Han Jie Li took off his tactical helmet and smiled brightly.
Before departing yesterday, Deputy Team Leader Zhao from the Xuan Jia team had originally planned to celebrate Meng Huai’s birthday in advance, but Meng Huai had turned it down. Now, the last blessing in the world had made its way to him, and Meng Huai finally smiled.
He lightly tapped his fist on the other’s shoulder, a rare affectionate gesture from Meng Huai to Han Jie Li. From now on, he would have only Han Jie Li as his close comrade in the mortal world, accompanying him for a lifetime.
Peeling back the wrapping, he savored the bittersweet chocolate, chewing gently. No one could see that at this moment, two hot tears silently streamed down Meng Huai’s face.
All operational personnel entered a state of ambush, and Tao Qiao’er released an outpost three hundred meters away.
At some point, Han Jie Li had already left his side. Swallowing the last bit of bittersweet taste, Meng Huai aimed his mouth at the shoulder-mounted communicator, issuing the first order for the fourth quarter of the 2019 southwest rotation. At this point, there were only sixteen days left until the new year.
In the rear, at several garrison bases in the southern prosecutor area of the western supervision zone, a dozen heavy drones took off.
These so-called “Scorpion” black phantoms were equipped with various reconnaissance sensor devices, appearing and disappearing mysteriously; some were loaded with precision-guided munitions, commanding overwhelming presence.
They would alternate on standby at thousands of meters in the air over the entire rotation zone for twenty-four hours, performing intelligence reconnaissance and ground fire support missions with the fastest response speed.
In a high-end luxury villa community in District Q, City C, Province S, the Zhong family had ultimately not awaited the return of their eldest son, Meng Huai.
Today was Meng Huai’s birthday and the first grand occasion the Zhong family had organized. Unfortunately, starting from yesterday, Meng Huai’s calls had been unreachable.
Perhaps he remained indifferent toward this family, or he simply forgot this day altogether.
“Alright, everyone stop waiting; let’s eat. Big brother probably isn’t interested in celebrating his birthday, and it’s almost nine o’clock in the evening.”
Zhong Jing, sitting in the living room, had already smoked half a pack of cigarettes, yet the sound of the car heralding big brother’s return still hadn’t materialized, and he could no longer resist walking toward the dining room.
“Yeah, let’s just eat.”
Zhong Ma was becoming impatient as well, completely unaware of how many stitches she had dropped in the knitting project she used to pass the time.
“Okay, you all eat first; I’ll make a call in the study.”
Zhong Hai glanced at the family members present, deeply sighed, and got up to head to the study.
Seeing her husband’s disappointed expression, Zhong Ma felt fed up as well and decided to remain seated, simply grabbing a piece of green bean cake from the coffee table and stuffing it into her mouth, treating it as a makeshift dinner.
In the empty dining room, the large table was filled with dishes covered with warming lids, but regrettably, only Zhong Jing was seated nearby.
“Jing Jun, have some soup.”
He Qijian brought over a bowl of nourishing black-boned chicken soup. This was something she had learned from Zhong Ma, finally saying goodbye to the style of solely miso soup.
“Oh, right, please invite my parents to eat as well. I can’t get them to come, so I’ll rely on you. Thank you.”
The chicken meat mixed with a hint of Chinese medicine was fragrant and tempting. Zhong Jing held the soup bowl, took a deep sniff, smiled with satisfaction, and pointed toward the living room, still smiling at He Qijian.
“Oh… okay.”
Noticing her holding the bowl with one hand, He Qijian hesitated before slightly bowing and leaving the dining room.
With his eyes fixed on the steam wafting from the black-boned chicken soup, a hint of doubt flickered in Zhong Jing’s eyes.
Glancing at He Qijian’s retreating figure, Zhong Jing quietly stood up and poured the entire bowl of soup into the organic waste bin nearby.
Dinner was delayed by over two hours, and the atmosphere felt considerably heavy, especially since Zhong Hai refused to come out of the study, while Zhong Ma only reluctantly sat at the dining table due to He Qijian’s presence.
He Qijian was quite perceptive and had a good sense of spoken cues, so she initiated a conversation with Zhong Ma about shopping together another day, finally adjusting Zhong Ma’s mood.
Zhong Jing, on the other hand, maintained a consistent smile throughout, seemingly pleased to see the amicable interaction between his mother and He Qijian.
Finally, dinner ended. Despite assistance from cleaning maids, Zhong Jing was still diligent, taking several cold dishes that had only been nibbled on into the kitchen.
With no one behind him, the moment he put down the dish, Zhong Jing casually turned his head to glance around the corners.
Confirming there was nothing particularly unusual, he quickly made his way to the study on the second floor. Passing by He Qijian’s room, he noticed the door wasn’t fully closed, and he could hear the sound of water in the bathroom.
After eavesdropping for two seconds, Zhong Jing entered his oversized study and locked the door.
He first turned on a gaming computer, started playing music; the lyrics were incomprehensible, but the volume was high, and the melody was enchanting.
Also quite invigorating, filled with the alluring sounds typical of the two-dimensional world.
Then he opened a work computer, entered a special program interface, and clicked on it. Several angles of kitchen surveillance camera feeds opened up sequentially.
These were pinhole cameras that Zhong Jing had secretly set up in the kitchen two days ago. He had an absolute intuition that He Qijian had tampered with the food at the Zhong family’s meals.
Lighting a cigarette, he skillfully operated the mouse, clicking through each image, switching angles… Eventually, Zhong Jing seemed to freeze, fixating on one video clip, falling deep in thought, the cigarette in his hand seemingly stopped burning.
In the footage, He Qijian was holding a test tube-like object, dazed in front of the countertop boiling soup, hesitating.
Indifference, stubbornness, panic, finally determination; He Qijian’s facial expressions gradually changed, clearly visible in the surveillance.
Raising her wrist, a few drops of an unidentified liquid were squeezed into the rich chicken broth that had been boiled into a bowl.
Good news: He Qijian only put strange things in one bowl of soup. Bad news: that bowl of soup was meant only for Zhong Jing, and after vomiting that day, he drank two bowls more.
His face, shoulders, fingers, nearly every joint was trembling, then gradually returned to calm… Zhong Jing silently smiled, rubbed his wrist, slowly stood up, and meandered around his study, taking deep puffs of smoke, his face showing no particular expression.
Ding-dong, the doorbell of the study rang, causing Zhong Jing to stop in his tracks and turn towards the door.
“Jing Ruo, can we do some anime together? Or play games?”
He Qijian’s soft voice came from the intercom.
Looking around the room, Zhong Jing grinned, turned on the ventilation fan, activated the air purifier, shut down his work computer, turned off the music, and then opened the door.
Fresh out of the shower, He Qijian had changed into a European-style outfit: a lace blue and black long-sleeved shirt paired with a red striped woolen skirt, her hair still slightly damp, elegant and sweet as always, standing at the door with a bright smile.
The door behind her closed silently, automatically locking. Looking at Zhong Jing, who was calmly standing before his luxurious computer desk, He Qijian suddenly felt an inexplicable fear. Her hands, which had been behind her, involuntarily moved to clasp together in front of her, and her head slightly bowed.
Pressing a button on the remote, all the curtains closed simultaneously. A strange smile slowly crept across Zhong Jing’s face, while He Qijian felt increasingly anxious.
“We’re not playing on the computer anymore; let’s play a more interesting game.”
A few seconds later, Zhong Jing offered a cup of hot fruit juice to He Qijian, his mouth curling up in a teasing manner: “Truth or dare, have you played? One question each until one of us stops answering.”
“Also, drink something warm; your relatives haven’t left yet, right? You really need to get rid of that habit of drinking cold water.”
For some reason, He Qijian followed along, sitting on the sofa. Holding the slightly hot juice, she stole a glance at Zhong Jing’s face, that sliver of fear weighing heavier in her heart.
“You ask first.”
Perhaps due to the heat from the air conditioning, Zhong Jing loosened his suit jacket and undid his tie.
Watching the charming young man’s face, He Qijian suddenly realized how unfamiliar he seemed today. That sunny, nonchalant smile, and the depths of his eyes held an insatiable hunger.
“So… Jing Ruo, do you like me?”
He Qijian took a deep breath, lowered her head, and slightly parted her red lips.
Zhong Jing seemed ready for this, sprawling his hands on the back of the sofa, crossing his legs, and his lips moved slightly: “No! No!”
He Qijian smiled wryly, looking at the juice in her hands, and gently shook her head.
“My turn to ask. What have you added to the soup I’ve been drinking over the last few months?”
Zhong Jing took out a cigarette, not lighting it but gently tapping the filter against his knee.
Her body shuddered, and the hot juice in He Qijian’s hands nearly spilled out.
He Qijian suddenly looked up at Zhong Jing, her small mouth slightly parted, moving several times without a sound.
“See, you tripped on the first hurdle… Didn’t you say you would never do anything harmful to me?”
Zhong Jing took the nearly unsteady cup from her hands, his voice dripping with an unusual charm and amusement: “I want to know, what do you mean by ‘harmful’?”
Zhong Jing knew… I always knew that you would discover it one day.
He Qijian slowly stood up, still deeply bowing her head but stubbornly biting her lip, not showing any signs of complacency.
Was it poison, or something else?
If you concede at the first hurdle, then this game would be incredibly boring… Is it your intention, or the Teng family’s?
Zhong Jing lowered his voice and continued questioning: “I remember you saying the Zhong family is a business partner for you; does that exclude me?”
“You are mine… Jing Jun, you are mine…”
He Qijian stepped away from the sofa, standing in front of Zhong Jing, then softly knelt on the ground, that same gesture of placing her hands together on her forehead, her voice trembling: “It’s the test reagent from the Teng family… Let’s be together; let me be the happiest person…”
“Hmm, I’ve heard that you true great families no longer need to use the initial embracing ceremony to fool people. Advanced medical technology allows you to discreetly select those you care about… For instance, did you pick me?”
“I haven’t had enough of an ordinary person’s life; I don’t think the bloodline’s life can elevate me in any way… Besides, what does your happiness have to do with me?”
At this point, Zhong Jing suddenly pulled He Qijian up, directly pushing her onto the sofa, his body pressing down on hers—one arm resting on the back of the sofa, his other hand caressing her long hair, smiling coldly.
“Tell me, how long will it take?”
Zhong Jing’s gaze turned exceptionally sharp, slowly roaming over the face of the Japanese girl.
He Qijian made no attempt to resist; her pale face was streaked with tear tracks, yet there were hints of blush on her cheeks. She merely turned her head away, not daring to meet Zhong Jing’s eyes, responding softly: “It will take more than three months… It’s very safe; all side effects are temporary…”
“Then stop it; otherwise, you might actually provoke a war.”
Zhong Jing sighed, standing straight, his eyes locked onto her teary face. Beyond feeling that she had a kind of blind, pathological foolishness, he found it increasingly difficult to feel disgust.
“No! We can’t stop; otherwise, the side effects will really turn into malignant tumors!”
He Qijian’s face changed drastically; she suddenly leaped forward, hugging Zhong Jing tightly, her voice trembling: “There’s no turning back, Jing Jun; be with me… We can go to places where no one can find us…”
“So, you’ve been crazy from the start, not considering what would truly be the best choice for me, right? You just thought that being with you meant the most favorable outcome; sigh… you’re too obsessed!”
As he spoke, Zhong Jing pulled on He Qijian’s clothes, ripping her lace long-sleeved shirt open in a wide tear, exposing her snowy shoulder.
At this moment, He Qijian’s body tightened with fear, yet the flush on her ears grew stronger, her eyes sparkling with shyness and anticipation.
“Do you know? If I took you right now, my mom would be the first to applaud, and you’d be thrilled, right? Tsk tsk, you get it, that’s called a win-win. Instead of you drugging me, and you alone being content while I’m on the side throwing up.”
Zhong Jing smiled extravagantly, throwing He Qijian’s body back onto the sofa and stepping back a couple of paces to straighten his shirt and tie, his expression returning to indifference: “Alright, this time, you won the truth or dare; I didn’t lose.”
“Jing Jun, it’s impossible to stop, absolutely impossible…”
He Qijian clutched her torn shirt and exposed shoulder, forcibly suppressing her sobs, but all that could be heard was Zhong Jing’s receding footsteps.
…
…
As the midnight bell chimed, the now-empty Jinhe Club gradually dimmed its interior lights.
The labor shortage forced Jiang Yan to abandon her right to a rest even during her menstrual cycle. Fortunately, her control over internal and external hormones had notably improved, and with her growing adaptability, she didn’t encounter major issues.
Zhao Peng’s promotion was now stable, and starting today, Xiao Ai’s schedule returned to normal. Aside from Liang Tai, who resided at the club, only one knight was needed for the night shift, so today, the Jiang sisters rare switched off work at the same time.
In the lobby, around ten members gradually changed out of their clothes while waiting to finish their shifts. This downtime usually belonged to the internal socializing period.
Xiao Dong and Xiao Ai were just introverted and not very talkative, while Jiang Yan, in the eyes of most of the Hyacinth girls, was a typical aloof beauty.
Aside from her exceptionally quick management of Jiang Yao, Jiang Yan rarely took the initiative to socialize with others. Over time, apart from a few knights, most attendants regarded this strikingly skilled girl as an unattainable presence.
“Sis, I think you should talk more to them; don’t be so aloof… You’re not still carrying over the old habits from the Xuan Jia unit, are you?”
Jiang Yao, dressed in a white fur-collared coat, shrank beside Jiang Yan, pointing to some shadows in the corners of the lobby, lowering her voice: “Everyone knows Sister Wan values you, but if you keep this up, don’t turn into a lonely heiress like those in affluent families…”
“Hehe, I’ve gotten used to it; probably can’t change now…”
Jiang Yan chuckled, somewhat embarrassed, withdrawing her gaze from the night view outside the glass wall.
“Hmph, that’s why I say being part of the high society is harmful; what nonsense rules does the Xuan Jia unit have that treat people like machines… This time, he’s just lucky; even heaven won’t take him. If he really dies, I don’t think many would remember him.”
Muttering a string of grievances, Jiang Yao kept her head down, busy in a game group on social media.
These words might not sit well, but aside from her usual cold demeanor, Jiang Yan remained composed, continuing to look outside the glass wall onto the streets.
For some reason, there was an inexplicable heaviness in Jiang Yan’s heart after midnight. Perhaps it was a sense of emptiness, or maybe it was disappointment.
In the past few days, whenever she had a little free time, Jiang Yan would open the message icon on her phone. However, besides various spam messages and exchange windows from purchases on a certain treasure site, there was still nothing new, as if a certain number had long since been deactivated.
“I’ll be leaving with Sister Wan in a few days; Zhong Jing has been absent from the club all this time… why don’t you ask?”
Suddenly, Jiang Yan turned her head, fixating on Jiang Yao, who was busy tapping away on her phone’s screen.
“Ah? I don’t know… Maybe he’s busy now that the year is ending? Sis, aren’t you the most averse to me chatting with him? Why do you suddenly want me to contact him actively?”
Jiang Yao paused, lifting her head to eye Jiang Yan suspiciously for a few moments. “Sis… Are you trying to inquire about Meng Huai?”
Jiang Yao bit her lip lightly, contemplating for a moment before letting out a cold laugh.
“Not at all.”
Jiang Yan avoided that vigilant and surprised gaze, lowering her voice further.
“You’ve been acting oddly these days… You can’t fool me!”
Jiang Yao tossed aside her phone, shifted her position, and stared intensely at Jiang Yan’s face: “Are you feeling that Meng Huai has been back for a week, yet not even a text has popped up? You think it’s abnormal compared to before?”
“Do you really think he’s a thoughtful person? You held him for over ten minutes, and he would transform completely upon revival?”
“I hated him on the first day I joined the Xuan Jia unit! You said you only felt pity for him, and he was just seeking comfort with you before death, and after getting you tangled up, would run off to die, and he hasn’t managed to do that yet!”
Jiang Yao’s words struck deep, even revealing the absurdity of those ten minutes. Jiang Yan felt her heart skip a beat and remained silent.
“Sis, in my opinion, someone like Meng Huai is naturally antagonistic towards bloodlines, not even worthy of carrying Zhong Jing’s shoes! I shouldn’t have even told you he was back! Hmph, if he doesn’t show up, that’s fine by me!”
Jiang Yao’s voice rose with indignation, clearly intent on sending that person to the netherworld.
“Calm down… sigh, I don’t even know if I’m a boy or a girl right now. Why would I be thinking of such matters?”
After listening to Jiang Yao’s series of complaints, Jiang Yan instead smiled.
Shaking her head, she reached out, tousled Jiang Yao’s beautiful hair, and stood up: “Let’s stop with these aimless discussions; the end of work time has come. I’ll go call for a car.”
With that, Jiang Yan opened her canvas bag, and the first thing that caught her eye was still the box containing a first-class merit medal.
Pausing for a second, she gently pushed it aside and took out her phone from beneath.
